Babysitting Ichigo
by kurisuchin45556
Summary: An experiment by Mayuri has left Ichigo defenceless, and Soul Society now knows about his hollow. With no one else to turn to Isshin brings Ichigo to Hueco Mundo, and it's up to Aizen, Gin and Tousen to care for a boy who doesn't remember anything.
1. Prologue

The portal that opened into Hueco Mundo was not one by either shinigami or arrancar. It had originated in Urahara Kisuke's shop, and the man and the boy of barely 4 years that stepped out of it were both human, somewhat. Aizen had of course known immediately that someone was within his domain, and he also knew exactly who it was. What he didn't know was why they were there. So, he sent his cuatra and sexta espadas to see what was going on, with explicit orders not to harm either person.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were standing in front of the man and child within moments, both perfectly calm and ready to show the utmost hospitality and kindness as per Aizen-sama's orders. "Isshin Kurosaki," Ulquiorra said with his usual emotionless voice, "Why have you come here?"

"I have come to speak with Aizen, Gin, and Tousen. I am in desperate need of their help." Isshin replied, picking up the child as he did so.

"Very well, but before we escort you to Aizen-sama, I wish to know one thing." Ulquiorra drawled.

"Yea, why the hell do you have a kid with you? I thought all your brats were teenagers." Grimmjow snapped.

The tone of Grimmjow's voice made the child shiver and bury his face into Isshin's neck.

"Oh, don't you recognize him? This is my son, Ichigo."


	2. Chapter 1

To say that Grimmjow was surprised was an understatement. The brash, energetic teenager with the crazy orange head that he had fought just months ago was now a snot-nosed brat that didn't even look old enough to be out of diapers. That was fucked up, to say the least.

"What the fuck happened to the strawberry?" he all but yelled.

"Grimmjow, watch your mouth, you're in the presence of a child." Ulquiorra snapped.

"But, I mean, look at him! He's a frickin kid!" Grimmjow's hands waved in the air and he began to rant about how fucked up the world was and that shit had officially hit the fan.

Ulquiorra shook his head and then turned back to Isshin, "I apologize for his actions, he has no brain."

Isshin chuckled a bit. "That's all right, Ichigo is going to have to get used to his foul mouth. Now, can we get going?"

Ulquiorra nodded, "Yes, you can shunpo I presume?"

Isshin only shifted Ichigo to his back, quietly instructing his son to hold on tight, before racing off.

It took a few minutes for Grimmjow to realize that he had been left behind, and then hurried after them.

Aizen had to physically stop his chin from dropping when he saw the state that Ichigo was in. He quickly set his features to a welcoming smile and hopped down from his throne. "Isshin, my old friend, to what do I owe this visit?"

Isshin set Ichigo down and stepped up to take Aizen's hand, "Sousuke, I have missed you. Unfortunately I don't have time to reminisce. Soul Society thought it would be alright for Mayuri to experiment on Ichigo. They turned him into a 4-year-old. When that happened, his hollow thought they were being attacked. He came out, and now everyone knows. Some of his friends were able to get him out of there, but Yamamoto has ordered his arrest and execution."

At that moment Gin stepped out of the shadows, "On what grounds?"

"He is charged with treason by way of being a Vizard."

Aizen shook his head with dismay, "I knew they would turn on him one day. Yamamoto is very set in the old ways."

"Yes, and that's why I brought him here. They know where we live, so they'll come looking there eventually. I need you guys to take care of him until Kisuke can find a way to change him back." Isshin looked down at his son with sad eyes, "I hate to leave him, but I don't have any other choice. If it came to them attacking the house I'd have no choice but to expose myself. That would incriminate not only me, but Karin and Yuzu as well."

Aizen nodded forlornly, "Yes, that is true. Since that is the case, we will be glad to take care of him. We can even have Szayel working on a cure as well."

"Ya, an this'll give me an Ichi some time ta bond. We didn' get off on a good foot." Gin gave a true smile for once and walked over in front of Ichigo. "My name is Ichimaru Gin. Ya can call me Gin." He held out his hand.

Ichigo looked at Gin for a moment, gulped, then reached out and shook his hand lightly. "I'm Ichigo."

Isshin and Aizen looked at the scene before them with humor. It was clear that Ichigo was intimidated by Gin, but didn't want to show any fear.

Isshin pulled the backpack of his shoulder and set it down at Aizen's feet. "This has basic stuff in it. PJ's, underwear, socks, shoes, pants and shirts. I also added some kids books and toys." At this point he leaned in to Aizen's ear, "At the bottom there's some pull-ups. If he gets sick or starts wetting the bed put one on him while he sleeps. I put a kido spell on the bag. When you start to run low on something put a note in the front pocket and say Masaki. I'll get the note and send through whatever you need." Isshin pulled back and walked over to Ichigo and Gin, who were engaged in small talk.

"Ichigo, I have to go now. You're going to stay with Gin and Aizen for a while. So be a good boy while you're here, okay?"

Ichigo's lower lip started to tremble, "B-but why can't I go with you?"

Isshin sighed and pulled his son into his arms. "I know you don't want to stay, but I have some stuff I need to do, and it's not safe for you to be with me when I do it. I'll come back and get you as soon as I can, okay?"

Ichigo nodded and squeezed his father tightly, "I'll miss you."

Aizen could see tears starting to for in Isshin's eyes.

"I'll miss you too. Now I have to go." With that Isshin got up and walked away, not turning back because he knew he wouldn't be able to leave if he saw Ichigo's face.

"Well Ichi, looks like it's just us now." Gin said with his ever present smile

Aizen nodded and knelt next to the small boy, "Would you like to see where you'll be sleeping? And then we can do something fun."

Ichigo gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod and took the hand that was presented to him by Gin.

"Oh yea, Aizen-taichou, ya forgot ta introduce ya self."

"My goodness, how rude of me. Ichigo, I am Aizen Sousuke, but you can call me Sou-san"

"K," Ichigo said shyly.

With that Aizen and Gin led Ichigo down a maze of hallways until they reached a set of tall, black double doors. "This is Gin and I's room. Your room is attached through our bathroom."

Gin pushed the door open and led Ichigo inside, through their room, the bathroom, and into Ichigo's new room. It was fairly large, with a full sized bed, a dresser, desk, chair, closet and bookshelf. The carpet was soft underneath their feet, although none of them could feel it with their shoes on. "This is where you will stay," Aizen said as he set Ichigo's bag down. "If you ever need us during the night you can come get us, or yell, we'll hear you."

Ichigo looked around the room from where he stood, not showing any emotion on his face.

"Do ya no like it Ichi?" Gin asked.

Ichigo looked up, "I like it. But, it's really white."

Gin look around. He knew that Ichigo was right. Everything in Hueco Mundo was white. From the walls to the floors, from the furniture to the sand and moon outside, it was all white. He supposed that he didn't notice it because he'd been there for so long, but for a child used to vibrant colors all around him, this must have seemed very bland. "Ya, I s'pose so. We should get some color in here for ya."

Aizen agreed, it wasn't normal for a child to live in white all day. "We'll have some of the servants paint the room and find you a nice bedspread, how's that?"

For the first time since coming there Ichigo smile, "Okay!"


	3. Chapter 2

Gin and Aizen helped Ichigo put his clothes away in the dresser and placed his books and toys on the shelves. Once that was done it was just about lunch time.

"Ya hungry Ichi? We can go eat." Gin said with his usual smile.

"O-ok." Ichigo said quietly, shifting back and forth slightly.

Aizen looked at the boy with a confused expression before it clicked in his head. "Ichigo, would you like to go to the bathroom before you eat?"

Ichigo shook his head back and forth quickly. "Don't need to."

Gin frowned slightly. He could see now that Ichigo clearly needed some relief, but he didn't understand why he wouldn't admit it. "Are ya sure Ichi? Cuz ya don' wanna have ta get up while ya eat."

Ichigo once again shook his head, "No, I'm a big boy."

That one statement made Gin understand perfectly. "Ya know Ichi, not having to go all the time does make ya a big boy, but admitting when ya need to go makes you even bigger. Actually, I could go before we eat, and I'm a big boy, right?"

Ichigo looked at Gin for a moment before nodding, "You're big."

Gin smiled, "Then big boys go too. Now are ya sure ya don' need ta go?"

"I… I guess a little bit."

Gin held out his hand to Ichigo, "Then let's go now so that we can do some fun stuff after we eat."

He led Ichigo into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. This effectively trapped Aizen in the room since the exit was on the other side of the door that had just been locked by Gin. When the two finished their business they washed their hands and opened the door back up so that Aizen could come through.

"Ok Aizen-sama, we're ready now."

When they walked into the dining hall many of the espada were already seated at the largest table.

"How wonderful that you're all here. I would like to introduce you all to Kurosaki Ichigo. He will be staying with us until further notice, so be nice to him. Also, I will be asking some of you to watch him during the times that neither Gin or I are able to. Is that agreeable with everyone?" Aizen said with a smile that told all of the espada that they didn't really have much of a choice.

"Hai, Aizen-sama" They all chorused in unison.

"Good, then lets eat"

Aizen got himself and Ichigo settled into chairs while Gin informed the arrancars that worked in the kitchen that there were three more people ready for food. Within a few minutes they came out with lunch. Pasta with meat sauce for Aizen and Gin, and grilled cheese along with a bowl of tomato soup for Ichigo. As soon as the food was in front of him Ichigo was on it like a ravenous wolf. He ate quickly, but with good manners, never spilling a drop.

Ichigo's antics made many of the espada chuckle, but they kept quiet not wanting to embarrass the boy. Aizen and Gin ate slowly, sipping on tea as they went. Before they were done half of their lunch Ichigo was finished his. He sat there for a moment, as if collecting himself, then asked quietly, "Can I have more?"

Aizen smiled, "Of course you can Ichigo, but how about you have some fruit before you go eating more grilled cheese." He called over a servant and told them to bring out a bowl of assorted fruits so that Ichigo could take his pick. Ichigo didn't seem overly thrilled with this, but he picked out a pear and ate it anyway. By the time he had finished off the pear he was full, and Gin and Aizen were done as well.

"Well then," Aizen said standing up, "It was very nice to see you all, I hope we can have another meal together soon." He started to turn away when he thought of something. "Before we go, why don't all of you introduce yourselves to Ichigo so that he will know who he's speaking to in the future."

Ulquiorra immediately stood and walked over to Ichigo. "My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, it is very nice to meet you." He gave a slight bow, and Ichigo bowed in return.

Next came Grimmjow, "Yo, my name's Grimmjow Jaggerjack. You can call me Grimm."

They moved down the line until Hallibel, Stark, Szayel, Nnoitra, and Barragan had all introduced themselves.

Gin gave his customary Cheshire cat grin and reached down to hold Ichigo's hand. "That was very nice of yal. Now if you'll excuse us, I believe we have some games to play."

The three of them didn't even make it to the door before a green blur came rushing through and tackled Ichigo, knocking him to the ground. "Itsygo!"

Now that he blur had stopped moving they could all see Nel, clinging tightly to Ichigo in a death-grip of a hug. "I missed ya Itsygo!"

Gin rushed to save the boy from Nel's death grip. "Nel-chan, ya got ta be careful! Ya could hurt Ichi!"

This immediately made Nel back off, "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt Itsygo."

Ichigo jumped to reassure her that he was not hurt, just surprised. "It's ok, uh, Nel. Just please don't do that again. The floor is too hard to land on."

Nel nodded, "Ok Itsygo, I won't tackle you no more."

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't we invite Nel to play with us. It will probably be better if we have someone of Ichigo's age." Aizen said.

"Yea! Wanna come play with us Nel?"

Nel jumped up and down with excitement, "Yes, yes, I wanna play!"

Aizen and Gin smiled at each other. It would be much easier to keep Ichigo entertained if he had someone of his own age there. This meant that for the most part they were off the hook for playing. At least, that was what they thought.

"Sou-san, Gin, can we play hide-and-seek?" Ichigo asked with the most adorable puppy eyes.

"I suppose that hide-and-seek would be acceptable. But, we can't play it in too many places, you guys could get lost. We need a big room with a lot of hiding places. Where do you think we should play Gin?" Aizen asked.

"Hmm, that's a good question. What do you guys think?" He asked the espada.

Ulquiorra, of course, had an answer, "Why not the first training room? It has a lot of rocks and other obstacles to hide behind."

"Yes, that's perfect. Thank you Ulquiorra."

"You're most welcome Aizen-sama."

Gin was ready to leave when he stopped and turned around with an evil glint in his every so slightly opened eyes. "Ya know, it's not much fun with only four people. Why don' we have tha espada and their fraccion come play?"

The espada cowered slightly at the thought of hide-and-seek with their superiors.

"That's a wonderful idea Gin. Come along everyone."

They all got up reluctantly and followed Aizen, Gin, Nel and Ichigo out of the room.


	4. Chapter 3

_I would very much like to thank everyone who has reviewed and favorited my story. It makes me so happy to know that other people enjoy my work. Unfortunately, when I wrote the first three installments, I was on vacation from school. School is now going on again, and updates will be limited to one or two every week, sometimes less, sometimes more. Also, just a little heads up for people. In approximately 6 weeks I will be making a 2 week trip to Japan, and the week before that I will be taking my school finals. Those three weeks I will not be updating my story. After that will be summer vacation so I'll probably be putting up new installments every few days. Thank you for taking the time to read this!_

As soon as the group arrived at the first training room Ichigo and Nel ran off to explore so that they would know where to look when they began to play. Everywhere they looked there was giant rocks, tunnels in the sand flooring and much more. This greatly excited them both, since the games would not be easy for anyone, but it was also a bit daunting. The room was huge compared to their small forms, what if they go lost? Would anyone be able to hear them if they called for help? Suddenly Aizen and Gin were behind them, and Ichigo could tell that both of them knew exactly what the two youngsters were thinking.

"You have nothing to fear in here. If you need our help, just call for us, we will hear you. Or, Nel, raise your spiritual pressure, we'll know this to mean that you need us." Aizen said with a smile.

Ichigo and Nel both nodded. "Can we start now?" Ichigo asked.

"Course we can start now. Alrigh' everyone, gather round!" Gin raised his voice slightly so all of the arrancar would hear him. "Ok, so, here's what's gonna happen. We're gonna all hide except for me, cuz I'm gonna seek first. All of ya need ta mask yer spiritual pressure so tha' I can't feel ya. Understand?"

A chorus of "Hai Ichimaru-sama" came from all of the arrancar.

"Great, I'm gonna count ta sixty, starting now." Gin closed his eyes and began to count loudly.

Everyone rushed off to hide as soon as Gin closed his eyes. Ichigo and Nel went together. They ran quickly across the sad to the other side of the training grounds. By the time they got there they had only 30 seconds left, so they quickly got behind a rock and crouched down, ready to wait out the game in perfect stillness and silence. It wasn't long before they heard the tell tale "ready or not here I come!". It was deathly quiet after that. None of the arrancar wanted to be found first, lest the others say that they're weak for not being able to hide well.

After about 5 minutes Gin yelled out, "I found ya Szayel!" and then a "Shit" followed.

Ichigo and Nel giggled quietly at the fate of their pink-haired friend. It wasn't surprising that he was the first to be found. He may have been a scientist, but he was anything but subtle, and most would have no difficulty in finding him in a crowd. Unfortunately for them, the giggling had alerted Gin to their whereabouts and the next thing they knew, they had both been scooped up into a tight hug while a loud, "I found ya!" came from their silver haired captor. After that he began to tickle them mercilessly.

"No!" they both squealed as they tried to get away, "Stop!" Of course, Gin didn't stop for a little while longer. When he did both children were out of breath from nonstop laughter. "All right, all right, calm down. Lets go find the others." It took them approximately another 15 minutes to find everyone, and of course Aizen was the last to be found. Ichigo suspected that if Aizen truly hadn't wanted to be found they wouldn't have found him at all, but that was just a hunch.

"All right," Gin said, "I found Szayel first so he has to seek."

Szayel looked almost afraid for a moment before a bracelet on his right wrist went off. "I'm sorry Ichimaru-sama, I can't stay, something in my lab has exploded."

Gin frowned, "Tha's too bad, but alright. That means that Ichi and Nel are seeking."

Ichigo and Nel jumped up and down with excitement. "Yay!" Nel cried, "We get to seek!"

They both closed their eyes and began to count. When they reached sixty they opened their eyes to absolutely no one in sight. "Wow, they're good." Ichigo muttered. They began to search in the immediate area around them, but found nothing. So, they wandered a little bit farther away, and still nothing. After 10 minutes and not one person found, they were starting to get annoyed. Then, Ichigo had an idea. "Hey Nel, come here for a moment." He began to whisper into her ear. What he said made her giggle like crazy and nod enthusiastically. When he stepped away they continued to walk around and search. Nobody had heard or seen what they were doing, so when a sudden cry of "Ow!" came from their direction, they all jumped up and ran to the two children. Instead of finding a crying or heaven forbid bleeding child they found both Ichigo and Nel with shit eating grins on their faces. "Found you!" they both cried at the same time.

Aizen turned to look at Gin with disbelief on his face, "I believe we have been duped."

Gin nodded, "Yes, I believe we have"

Ichigo cocked his head to the left, "What does duped mean?"

Gin looked down at the little carrot top, "It means that ya tricked us."

Ichigo smiled, "Yea, we did. It was awesome! I can't believe you fell for it!"

Grimmjow growled lowly, "That was dirty. Ya shouldn't have done that. We thought you were hurt."

Ichigo and Nel's faces both lost their smiles. "I'm sorry," Ichigo said quietly, a hint of tears in his voice, "I didn't know it was bad."

Aizen knelt down and gathered the two children into his arms, glaring menacingly at Grimmjow, "No, you weren't bad, that was very creative. But next time, try something that doesn't make us worry so much. We don't like the thought of you being hurt."

They both nodded against Aizen's neck, sniffling quietly.

Seeing how upset he had made the two children, Grimmjow's face became ashamed. He knelt down and tapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Can you forgive me?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded, leaping into Grimmjow's chest at full force. The poor teal haired espada had no idea what to do. He wasn't very good with children. So, he allowed his instincts to take over and he wrapped his arms around the small boy, pulling him close.

Gin could tell that the old enemies would soon be good friends. Grimmjow showed his natural paternal instincts. Usually in an espada they wouldn't be this strong, but he was a panther after all. Cats were inherently protective of their young and were naturally good parents.

"Ok, how bout we stop here for now. I think we've had enough excitement for one day." Gin said with is usual smile.

The espada let out a collective sigh of relief. A chorus of 'bye's' and 'see ya laters' were heard as they all sonidoed away. Grimmjow was the last to leave. He gave Ichigo one final squeeze before getting up, "I'll see you guys at dinner."

"Bye!" Ichigo and Nel called as Grimmjow walked away. Once he was gone they looked at Aizen and Gin. "What now?"

"Well," Aizen said thoughtfully, "We've already passed 2 hours, so we only have 3 more before dinner. What would you like to do in that time?"

"Hmmm," Ichigo put his hand on his chin and screwed up his face in thought. "What is there to do?"

Now it was Gin and Aizen's turn to think. "Well, we could read some of the books your father left you, or play with some of the toys. Or we could go swimming, or maybe…"

"SWIMMING!!!" Ichigo and Nel cheered.

Gin almost scowled at his taichou, "You just had to bring up swimming, didn't you?"

Aizen had enough intelligence to look sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't think they'd actually go for it."

The two children were still cheering and hopping up and down with excitement. Gin sighed, knowing that they wouldn't get out of this. So, he took one of each of their hands and began to lead them to the pool that was hidden deep in the recesses of Las Noches.


	5. Chapter 4

After stopping by Ichigo's room to grab the swimsuit that Isshin had thankfully packed, Gin told Nel to meet them at the pool after she too changed. She ran off down the hall, leaving the two men with an impatient toddler, who was currently looking up at them with his big brown eyes.

"Don' look at me like tha' squirt," Gin said with a smile, "Aizen-sama and I just have to change and then we can go swimmin'."

Gin changed first so Ichigo wouldn't be left alone, Aizen helping him don his swimsuit as they waited. Once everyone was changed they began heading towards the room in the center of Las Noches that held the pool. As they walked Aizen thought of something very important.

"Ichigo, can you swim?" He asked.

The small boy looked up at him with an expression like the lord of the hollows had grown an extra head. "Mommy taught me to swim last year. I'm a big boy!"

Aizen smiled down at his young charge, "Yes, you are a big boy. I just wanted to make sure you were a big boy who could swim. Otherwise you would need a life vest or a noodle."

Gin opened his eyes slightly and took on a serious expression. "That's right Ichi, we don' want anything to 'appen to you while we swim. You're sure you don't need a floatie?"

Ichigo nodded, "I'm sure."

Gin nodded and smiled. They continued in silence until they came to a large black door, hanging on it was a small sign saying 'Water hazard'. Aizen frowned upon seeing the sign. "What's that there for?"

"Ah, that's cuz I found out some of our Arrancar are allergic to water. Somethin' that 'appens when they become Adjucas."

"I see," he said quietly, "And why was I not informed of this latest discovery?"

Gin smiled sheepishly, "I was supposed to tell ya, but I kinda forgot."

Aizen rolled his eyes, "Honestly Gin, how can you be my second in command if you don't remember to tell me things that could potentially cost us the war?"

"Sorry Aizen-sama, it won't happen again."

"That's all right. What's done is done. We just need to be more vigilant from now on." The brown haired man said with a sigh.

Ichigo reached up and tugged on their sleeves. "Can we go in now?"

Gin smiled, "Course we can Ichi. Let's see if Nel's here yet."

As soon as the door opened the little green haired girl came running up, "Hi Itsygo! You ready to swim?"

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Let's go!" They both started to run off and almost made it to the pool before the adults caught up and grabbed them.

"Ichigo, Nel!" Aizen said with a slightly raised voice, "You must wait until we get in the pool. And you must never run near the edge. What if you fell?"

The two children looked at each other before their eyes began to fill with tears. Nel managed to stop herself from crying since she was a little older, but Ichigo burst into loud wails and sobs, throwning himself into Aizen's chest.

"I'm sorry!" He cried, "Don't be angry!"

Aizen wrapped his arms around the little boy and patted his back. "I'm not angry Ichigo, you just scared me. I'm sorry for raising my voice. That was wrong."

Ichigo's tears stopped, but he sniffled a little bit, "You're not mad?"

Gin squatted down next two the two, "No Ichi, we're not mad, just don' run off without asking permission. And don't run near the edge of the pool. If ya slipped ya could be hurt."

Ichigo sniffled once more before nodding. "Ok"

Gin and Aizen both stood back up. Aizen took Ichigo and Nel's hands and led them to the water's edge. "Now that that's settled, let's swim."


	6. Chapter 5

After swimming for a few hours the two shinigami, vizard child, and arrancar returned to their rooms to quickly rinse the chlorine off and change into their clothes for dinner. The evening meal went much the same as lunch had. A special kid's meal for Ichigo, and chicken casserole for everyone else. The arrancar, especially Grimmjow enjoyed watching the child eat. He consumed his food faster than most adults, and yet finished without every spilling, or using bad manners. The blue haired arrancar took it upon himself to match Ichigo's pace, but found chicken all over his pants. Aizen had smirked at that, and Gin had opened his eyes to get a better look. This resulted in poor Szayel fainting, and Harribel having to drag him out of the room.

When everyone was finished they stood, bowed politely, and went off to do various things. Gin once again took Ichigo's hand, leading him back to his room. When they entered the child all but squealed in delight. During dinner one of the lesser arrancar had come in and painted the walls a soft blue, and put a Totoro bedspread on top of the white sheets. There was also toy chest that Ichigo discovered was full of little cars and building blocks. There was also a tiny plastic replica of Zangetsu that transformed when he yelled 'Bankai'.

"Thank you!" he cried, latching onto Aizen's leg. The lord of the arrancar bent down to Ichigo's level and pulled him into a hug.

"You're most welcome. I hope you have everything you need in here."

"Ya Ichi," Gin said, "If somethin's missing ya gotta let us know."

Ichigo took a moment to look around the room, and then deemed it perfect. "Nope, everything's here," he said with a large smile on his face.

"Good," Aizen nodded and got up, "You may play for an hour with your toys, and then you need to brush your teeth and go to bed. I have some work to do, Gin will stay with you. I will return in time to say goodnight."

"Do I have to take a bath?" Ichigo asked.

"No Ichi, ya showered off earlier. Ya can take a bath tomorrow." Gin went over to the toy chest and looked inside. "Whatcha gonna play with?"

Ichigo ran over and began sorting through the toys. Aizen took that moment to leave, preparing himself for a long hour of planning with Ulquiorrra, hoping to find a way to stop Soul Society from attacking Ichigo again.

A little less than an hour later, Aizen returned to find Ichigo building a massive tower out of blocks. It was so tall Gin had to hold the boy up to put the top block on. Just as Ichigo place the last block, the tower began to sway. Within seconds it had toppled to the ground.

"Aww," Ichigo whined as Gin put him on the ground, "I wanted it to stay up."

"I know Ichi, we'll try again tomorrow. Maybe Aizen-sama will help us if we ask nicely."

Aizen smirked and stepped into the room, "You would have to ask very nicely for me to build a block tower."

Ichigo grinned and ran to the brunette. "Did you see my tower? Wasn't it huge?"

"Yes, it was very impressive. Now it's time to pick up all your toys so you can get ready for bed."

"Ok," Ichigo picked up all his toys and the let Gin lead him into the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and went to the bathroom one last time before bed.

"All right Ichi," Gin said helping the boy get into bed, "It's time to go to sleep."

"I don't get a bedtime story?" He asked, looking up with his big eyes.

Gin looked to his taichou, "Whaddya think Aizen-sama?"

"I suppose one story wouldn't hurt. Pick one out while I brush my teeth."

Ichigo quickly scrambled out of bed and over to the backpack he had brought. The book he pulled out had a brightly colored fish on the cover.

"This is the one ya want?" Gin asked.

"Yes!" Ichigo cried, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Aizen returned and then proceeded to read the book to Ichigo. It was about a fish that had plain grey scales, and all of its friends had brightly colored scales. It was very sad, so its friends decided to each give him a scale. After that he was the most colorful fish in the sea. By the time the story was done Ichigo's eyelids were drooping, and his head kept falling forward.

Gin layed Ichigo back in the bed, and pulled the covers up. "Good night Ichi. We'll see you in the mornin'." He bent down and placed a kiss on the carrot top's forehead, and then got up and left. Aizen also said goodnight, and retired to his room for some time with his lover.


End file.
